1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a three-dimensional data generation apparatus and a three-dimensional data generation method, which generate three-dimensional data used for recognizing an object present in an observation area. The present invention also relates to a monitoring system including a three-dimensional data generation apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Systems that monitor an observation area having a predetermined spatial extensity by using image information acquired by capturing an image of the observation area are known. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H09-130781 (JPH09-130781A) discloses a wide-area monitoring apparatus that monitors a moving object such as a person or a vehicle across a wide area. The wide-area monitoring apparatus includes a moving object recognition device that detects a position and a feature quantity, of a moving object, from image information of an area to be monitored and converts the position of the moving object into coordinates on a map of the area to be monitored so as to output the coordinates and the feature quantity; an individual identification device that detects identification information of the moving object; a verification device that verifies the identification information of the moving object against previously registered identification information and outputs a verification result; and a moving object tracking device that links information of the coordinates and feature quantity of the moving object with the identification information and the verification result and tracks the moving object on the map of the area to be monitored.